Every now and then, something stops us in our everyday tracks and makes us think about how we live our lives. We have been following the story of Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor who delivered what is called a "last lecture," a tradition in which professors share their life wisdom. Only in this case, what is usually a theoretical talk, turned out to be real as Pausch was told he had just months to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Professor Pausch prepared his lecture as a living will for his kids -- a guide for how to live life -- in a speech that has now inspired people all over the world.
For those of you who have not yet watched Professor Pausch's lecture, called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," we urge you to set aside an hour Click here for a You Tube link. Click here to purchase Pausch's bestselling book, based on his lecture. Pausch touches on his boyhood desire to become Captain Kirk, to play for the NFL, fly at zero gravity and be a Disney imagineer. Pausch, in fact, came close to achieving most of his dreams.
Randy Pausch passed away this weekend, and we thought about how his words inspired us, as parents, to talk to our kids about their dreams, and share our thoughts as to how they might go about making them real. In some ways, these thoughts are our legacy to our children, our own unique view of the world about how to live a life so that, in Pausch's words, "dreams come to you."
Whether your child wants to be a fireman, ballerina or a robotics engineer, talking about their dreams is the first step in giving them wings to fly!
Diane and Sarah
Co-founders, KidsOffTheCouch.com
